


One Night and One Night Only

by endlesstalesofwonder



Series: One Word Prompts [12]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Breaking and Entering, Criminal!Magnus, Face Punching, M/M, Punching, alec lightwood is wild as hell, reference to being past lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 04:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15766896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlesstalesofwonder/pseuds/endlesstalesofwonder
Summary: Alec finds that someone broke into his home - and is trying to make coffee.





	One Night and One Night Only

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's been a while since I've posted and decided to make up for that before I start the second year of my university. Enjoy!

Alec wanted nothing more than to slam his apartment door shut, microwave the shit out of his leftovers, and crash in his bed. He wrestled with pulling his key out of the door, pausing in the door frame. A soft glow illuminated from his kitchen, followed by a gentle rustling.

Burglars weren’t uncommon in the neighborhood. That’s why Alec didn’t spend an entire salary on preventing intruders that were experts in surpassing the most complicated of defenses. He just owned a very nice bat.

The sounds from his kitchen weren’t moving around in panic or exploration. They were steady, calculated. They were looking for something. Alec secured his hand around the base of the bat, edging forward on the few floorboards that hadn’t been warped with water damage or years of havoc. Murmurs, echoes of an open-ended discussion filled the air, and a soft nudging in the back of Alec’s mind drew him around the corner.

“… _blasted coffee machi –_ Oh. Welcome home.” Alec froze, exposed with the bright light of the kitchen. The intruder greeted Alec as though he was an old friend _._ The man pointed to his Keurig machine. “How do you work this thing?”

A burglar would have been nice – better – for Alec to stumble across. They might have been granted a sliver of mercy before he threw them out of his home and onto the street. A friend – an old friend – _a conniving piece of shit –_ “How?”

“The buttons aren’t working…”

Alec hasn’t seen the man in front of him in upwards of seven years due to several B&E’s, theft and loitering charges. He still had another year or so until his parole sentence let alone complete freedom – “Alec.”

The man captured Alec’s attention again, arms akimbo. He was looking at Alec like he was the one who interrupted something important, like Alec was the intruder, like there wasn’t an obvious gaping hole that separated the pair of them. Alec snapped – and punched Magnus Bane in the face.

A fury of curse words were pulled out of the punch as he fell. Magnus’ hand flew to his nose, trying to hold the blood in from running down his chin. “I see you’re still going to the gym. Kickboxing? No  – _shit this hurts.”_

“What the hell are you doing here?” Alec hissed. There had been a time when Alec would stay calm, cool, and collected, listening to whatever story Magnus had spun to gain his trust and empathy. That time had passed, spoiled.

“Can I get some ice?” He asked, shuffling into an upright seated position against the floor cupboards.

Alec crossed his arms. If he wanted the ice, he would have to get it for himself since he was so good at doing things by himself without explanation. Alec would rather not waste any more time, or breath, on the man that disappeared from his life seven years ago without so much as a note or phone call.

Magnus didn’t dare move from his spot on the floor. He reached up to snatch the hanging towel from the oven, soaking it with the blood from his nose. Alec repeated the question with the same amount of force and veiled anguish. “What are you doing here? In my apartment?”

He pulled back the towel only to push it back to his nose in gentle dabbing motions. His eyes, the same warm dark brown, kept steady with Alec’s own, a fiery hazel concoction, without a drop of hesitation, intimidation, or fear.

“I thought you’d understand.”

“Of course,” Alec scoffed. “Though, I try to schedule break-ins for Thursdays.”

“This is serious, Alec.”

“I’m always serious. Remember?” Alec did. The last seven years hit him all at once at the sight of him standing in his kitchen. Every breath caused a forgotten ache to resurface.

Magnus wavered, breaking contact to look at his hands despite his efforts to keep his nose from bleeding further. When he looked up, Alec remembered the last time he had seen him, uncertain and shattered, looking at him as though he was the last inch of rope keeping him from falling. Alec swallowed sharply at the image.

“I need your help,” he said finally. “One night. That’s all I want.”

Alec pursed his lips. This was all too familiar, the eyes, the promises, and Alec promised himself that he would never go down a road like this again, and yet here he was, standing at a crossroads that he could call home. He took two long strides to the fridge, yanking the top door open to retrieve three ice cubes, and twisted them into the hold of another towel.

“Look up,” he instructed, leaving no room for argument. Magnus dropped his hand and craned his neck back, yielding to Alec’s prodding yet gentle touch. Alec swiped and blotted at the sensitive skin, impassive to the hisses and overdramatic noises that Magnus elicited at every touch, channeling the same care and attention like that of a lover. “One night. On the couch. In the morning, you’re going to explain everything.”

Magnus’ slender yet warm fingers wrapped around his wrist, neither controlling nor demanding. The familiar touch calmed Alec’s racing heart. He said nothing, dropping his hand, allowing Alec to finish cleaning up the mess he had made.

It was going to be a long, restless night, Alec thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr for more posts and drabbles: endlesstalesofwonder


End file.
